Cron Expression */3 * * * * Every 3 Minutes Linux Crontab (2026)
Cron expression */3 * * * * means Every 3 minutes.
Cron expression */3 * * * * every 3 minutes for Linux crontab in 2026. Validate interval behavior, manage overlap risk, and run short-interval jobs safely.
Cron Expression
Common use cases
- High-frequency Linux polling scripts
- Every-3-minute queue and webhook checks
- Short-interval monitoring and cache refresh jobs
- Fast retry loops for lightweight automation
How to use this cron schedule
If your target query is cron expression */3 * * * * every 3 minutes Linux crontab, use `*/3 * * * * /path/to/script.sh` in `crontab -e`. This executes at minute 0, 3, 6, 9, and so on for every hour of every day. In 2026, this cadence is commonly used for near-real-time checks where five-minute intervals are too slow but every-minute scheduling is unnecessary. Keep commands lightweight, use absolute paths, and redirect logs so you can verify each run started and completed without manually tracing process tables.
Short intervals increase overlap and resource pressure risk on Linux hosts. If one run takes longer than three minutes, the next trigger can start before the previous process finishes. Prevent duplicate side effects with lock files, queue workers, or idempotent writes. Validate API rate limits before production rollout because 3-minute schedules can exhaust quotas quickly during failure retries. Keep non-interactive shell assumptions explicit, including PATH and environment variables, so cron behavior is consistent with manual script tests.
For stable 2026 operations, monitor duration percentiles, failure streaks, and last-success age from day one. Alert on sustained degradation rather than one transient blip to avoid noisy paging. Split heavy work out of the cron command when possible: let the cron trigger enqueue tasks and process them asynchronously with controlled concurrency. This protects host performance and reduces cascading failures. Use this page as the Linux copy reference for `*/3 * * * *`, then compare every-minute and every-5-minutes pages to tune cost versus responsiveness.
Want to customize this schedule?
Open it in the visual builder to tweak the expression interactively.
Open in BuilderNeed to monitor this cron job?
Cronhub tracks your scheduled jobs and alerts you if they fail or run late.
Platform usage examples
# Edit your crontab
crontab -e
# Add this line to run expression */3 * * * * every 3 minutes linux crontab (2026)
*/3 * * * * /usr/bin/php /var/www/html/script.php
# Or run a shell script
*/3 * * * * /home/user/scripts/job.sh >> /var/log/job.log 2>&1# .github/workflows/scheduled.yml
name: Scheduled Job
on:
schedule:
- cron: '*/3 * * * *'
jobs:
run:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
steps:
- uses: actions/checkout@v4
- name: Run job
run: echo "Running expression */3 * * * * every 3 minutes linux crontab (2026)"apiVersion: batch/v1
kind: CronJob
metadata:
name: my-scheduled-job
spec:
schedule: "*/3 * * * *"
jobTemplate:
spec:
template:
spec:
containers:
- name: job
image: my-image:latest
restartPolicy: OnFailureRelated developer tools
More free tools for engineering workflows that pair with scheduled jobs:
Frequently asked questions
What is the cron expression for expression */3 * * * * every 3 minutes linux crontab (2026)?
The cron expression is */3 * * * *. Cron expression */3 * * * * every 3 minutes for Linux crontab in 2026. Validate interval behavior, manage overlap risk, and run short-interval jobs safely.
How do I schedule a cron job to run expression */3 * * * * every 3 minutes linux crontab (2026) in Linux?
Open your crontab with "crontab -e" and add a new line: */3 * * * * /path/to/your/script.sh — this schedules your script to run expression */3 * * * * every 3 minutes linux crontab (2026). Save and exit; the cron daemon picks up the change immediately.
What does the cron expression "*/3 * * * *" mean?
Cron expression */3 * * * * every 3 minutes for Linux crontab in 2026. Validate interval behavior, manage overlap risk, and run short-interval jobs safely.
Can I use "*/3 * * * *" in GitHub Actions?
Yes. In your workflow YAML, set the schedule trigger: on: schedule: - cron: '*/3 * * * *'. GitHub Actions uses standard 5-field Unix cron syntax, so this expression works as-is.